Citizens of the Seneca Nation of Indians elected their first female president on Tuesday, ushering in longtime tribal council leader Tina Abrams.
Abrams will be officially sworn in on Tuesday, Nov. 10, and will serve a two-year term.
She replaces J.C. Seneca, and will lead the Nation's first all-female executive branch.
“The Seneca people did not go to the polls to elect a woman President today. We went to the polls to choose a president who can lead our Nation with strength, honesty, vision and conviction. That is my charge,” Abrams said in a statement after votes had been tallied from the Nation's Cattaraugus and Allegany territories.
Abrams received 1,040 votes, easily defeating two opponents. She has served since 2001 on the Seneca Nation Council, and in 2012 because the first woman to serve as Council co-chair.
The Nation adopted an elected, democratic form of government under its Constitution in 1848. Though a matrilineal society, women only secured the right to vote after a 1964 referendum, and the right to hold office a few years later.
“Our people have given me a great responsibility," Abrams said. "I will honor their trust by doing everything I possibly can to make sure that our Nation remains strong and that our sovereignty is always protected.”
